Friday, June 5, 2015

A veterinarian, mother's take on organic...

It's a controversial subject in some ways. It can lead to judgmental comments and beliefs as well. I'm not writing this to judge- one way or the other... just to put some thoughts out there.

I come from a fairly unique perspective. I am a veterinarian, with an animal agriculture background and also an ethics background. Combine with that I am a mother and a trying-to-be frugal wife.

Here are some thoughts....

I try to do organic when it comes to fruit and veggies. I think there is definitely evidence that pesticides in our food supply can have negative consequences we may not be fully aware of. I try especially on what are considered "Dirty Dozen" foods:

I actually am trying my hand at organic gardening, and my grape vine and my raspberry bush, while not certified USDA organic, have never had any pesticide or fertilizers put on them in the 3 years I've had them. I think they are gargantuan and do great because they are located directly next to my organic compost pile. Living in a townhouse, I've been frightened away from actually composting a whole lot (last year I had an experience of finding a dead sewer rat that likely came from the major Atlantic city nearby and let's just say I NEVER want to go through that again, even in the interest of great composted soil). My parents gave me this thing called a Veg Trug last year and it's been great. I have it on my porch (we really don't have much of a yard) and no squirrels, deer or other wildlife are able to steal from it and I have tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, green beans and more in it. Every little bit helps the grocery bill and it's nice to know EXACTLY where food comes from.

My toddler has also used the garden to learn how to count. Initially in the spring, we would go out every morning and count the new buds coming up. Until it got to a point where I couldn't even count anymore. He has also tried his hand at gardening too. Which let's just say it ended up being a reason for me to look into vermiculite toxicity... The world of toddlers and pets when it comes to the bizarre things they will get into...

When it comes to organic meats and dairy... Well... this is where my animal science background makes me depart a little bit from the USDA organic crowd... The amount of growth hormones in cows' milk is very small and is degraded by the process of pasteurization. Antibiotics are VERY regulated on most farms and in the veterinary industry, they are given sparingly. Sometimes cows need antibiotics to fight infection. Their milk is not put into the general supply. Antibiotic treated cows are always milked last and separately and the equipment is cleaned completely. There is a withholding time for cows that receive antibiotics before they can enter the meat or dairy supply. This withholding time is dictated by how much time it takes for the antibiotic to completely clear the cow's system. Not only do I find buying organic for meat a costly, and in my opinion un-neccesary expense, I have another component to my opinion. When I was in animal science, and then later on veterinary school, I spent a lot of time on all sorts of dairy and beef cattle farms. The dirtiest farms I saw tended to be the organic farms. There's just something to the fact that parasiticides kill parasites and that when an animal has infection, sometimes antibiotics are best. Sometimes things can't be fixed in an organic way. Many non-organic farmers try to use organic methods when possible, it benefits the animal (and them) if they don't have to go through lengthy withholding times, but sometimes as I'm sure you parents know, your kid just needs an antibiotic.

Some things that I don't think we know a lot about are the amount of hormones and other compounds that occur in natural foods. I remember learning that you could get much higher (and more risky) hormones in vegetables like spinach and soy than you can from non-organic meat and dairy. Just some food for thought...